The Netherlands today announced the lifting of restrictions on coal-fired power generation to offset a drop in gas supplies from Russia, a day after its neighbour Germany took a similar measure.
The cabinet decided to immediately lift production restrictions for coal-fired power plants from 2022 to 2024, Energy and Environment Minister Rob Weten announced during a press conference.
This means that coal-fired power plants can again operate at full capacity instead of the maximum 35% limit, he added.
The Dutch decision comes on the heels of Germany's decision to resort more to coal to offset reductions in Russian gas supplies.
Russian gas giant Gazprom announced in May the suspension of deliveries to Dutch supplier GasTerra, partly owned by the Dutch state, after the company refused to pay in rubles.
I must underline that there is an acute shortage of natural gas currently in the Netherlands, Yeten said. However, more countries are now under pressure (from Russia), he explained. This worries us. Because of these concerns, I am today announcing a level 1 gas crisis: early warning, he added.
Although the highest level is level 3, he explained, currently the risk of doing nothing is too high.
The Dutch minister said his country had prepared this decision with his European colleagues in recent days.
Dutch coal-fired power plants could not since January operate above 35% of their maximum capacity to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Source: Cyprus Times
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